What Québec Wants™

Quebeckers, genealogy and their DNA

Like so many aspects of Quebeckers’ attitudes and behaviours, their interest in genealogy is ambiguous.

Ronald Bishop wrote in the Journal of Popular Culture that “the pursuit of family history and origins tends to be shaped by several motives: the desire to carve out a place for one's family in the larger historical picture, a sense of responsibility to preserve the past for future generations, and a sense of self-satisfaction in accurate storytelling.” As a minority that has had to protect its culture and language and a society where national identity issues fuel never-ending debates, one would expect Quebeckers to be keenly involved with genealogy.

At first glance, this doesn’t appear to be the case. According to Vividata 2016 Q2 data, Québec is the province with the lowest percentage of its population actively involved with genealogy.

It’s important to note that this data is about genealogy as an activity, a pastime. Just like bird watching and stamp collecting which incidentally have the lowest participation rate in Québec.

While the data is a decade old, a survey fielded by Ipsos in 2006 for Ancestry.ca revealed that Quebeckers were essentially as interested in genealogy as Canadians in the RoC. We can assume that while the levels of interest may have changed over the last ten years, the slight regional variations likely remain the same.

Quebeckers are as interested in their family history as Canadians in the RoC but proportionally fewer take an active role in the pursuit of their family history.

It may well be that for many in Québec, their family name’s ancestry has already been well documented and it’s all they really want to know. Québec’s smaller size likely means that a significantly higher percentage of its population share the most popular family name.

The general history of the ancestors who first arrived in New France is well documented, readily accessible and, in some case, well publicized. The popular series “Le Québec - une histoire de famille” with its extensive library of family profiles and videos,  its “family of the week” (e.g. The Bouchard Family) and weekly profiles in Le Journal de Montréal (below) may also have contributed to creating an impression that most family histories are readily accessible to those who only wish to know about the ancestor who was first to set foot in New France.

While many may feel they already know enough (i.e. “I don't have our family tree but I know that my ancestors arrived in 1789 and settled on l’Ile d’Orléans”), there seems to be a larger issue or barrier to overcome in Québec; a significantly higher proportion of Quebeckers than Canadians living in the RoC (almost one in two) don't think family history matters.

There is no shortage of options for anyone interested in getting or researching a family tree in Québec. This article published in Les Affaires in 2013 lists the many resources available and their cost. However, Quebeckers might be more interested in new innovative ancestry-related products such as AncestryDNA.

Pure laine, diversity and openness to the world

Questions of identity and national pride have been debated in Québec ever since Lord Durham wrote in his report that French Canadians were a people "without history and without literature” who should be assimilated.

Protecting this identity has been and continues to be a priority for all Quebeckers - whether they are federalists or in favour of separation.

At the core of this identity is the notion of “pure laine”. The term pure laine, literally meaning pure wool (and often translated as dyed-in-the-wool), refers to those whose ancestry is exclusively French-Canadian. (It probably relates to the raising of sheep for wool, which was common in rural Quebec of the 1700s.) Terms with a similar meaning include de souche (of the base of the tree, or root) and old stock as in "Old Stock Canadians”.

This label is well understood by Quebeckers and a source of pride for many. It’s also one that advertisers have sought to capitalize on. Beer brand Labatt Bleue stands as a symbol of this pure laine identity and the pride that comes with it. Its theme “Fiers d’être bleue” (Proud to be blue) taps into this strong sense of belonging to a tribe of pure laine Quebeckers.

What Labatt Bleue does with Québec pride is essentially the same as what Molson Canadians did with “The Rant”. It tapped into a strong sense of national identity, a pride in our common heritage and our roots to sell beer.

This sense of belonging to a nation remains strong today despite shifts in Quebec society. And politicians have and continue to walk a fine line on this issue. [In 2006, the House of Commons passed a motion that states: "That this House recognize that the Quebecois form a nation within a united Canada.” Prime minister Stephen Harper said he is using the word nation in a "cultural-sociological" rather than in a legal sense. "I think tonight was an historic night," Harper said after the vote. "Canadians across the country said 'yes' to Quebec, 'yes' to Quebecers, and Quebecers said 'yes' to Canada.]

Jack Jedwab, president of the Association for Canadian Studies offers this important observation:

Quebeckers act like a minority and majority nation at the same time. They can tend to turn inward and display a certain insularity, but they also want others to integrate into their culture. It’s important for Quebeckers to transmit their culture and tradition to their descendants, but at the same time they believe that immigrants should abandon their own traditions and become like other Quebeckers. For some Quebeckers, this is a matter of survival. It isn’t always easy to grasp the complex and changing personality of Francophone Quebeckers.

This is a sensitive area. However, it’s one that can offer a powerful platform for a brand if done with care, relevance and authenticity. Just as The Rant had an impact that went far beyond beer sales, there is an opportunity to tap into national identity to fuel a conversation.

There is an opportunity to recognize the identity debate and the notion of “pure laine” while tapping into a fundamental shift in Québec society, one that is increasingly being embraced by a younger generation of Quebeckers that is more tolerant and more open to the world.

Quebeckers are a fairly insular people. They keep things close to home.

However, this is changing. There’s a new generation of Quebeckers who are far more open to the world outside Québec.

There also appears to be a greater acceptance of the “others”.

And a realization that immigration and language policies have created a whole new type of Québecois (known as the children of Bill 101): Quebeckers of various ethic backgrounds who speak French, and often several other languages, and who are as Québécois as the “pure laine”. Stand-up comic Sugar Sammy embodies this perfectly.

This present an opportunity for brands to prompt Quebeckers to rethink conventional labels about “visible minorities”, the “ethnics”, the “first” nations. Some may not be as “pure laine” as they thought. They could learn something unexpected about themselves. And when they do, they will understand that the differences make Quebeckers today make them who they are as a people.

The Québec character: joie de vivre, easygoing, non-committal, victim, villagers, creative and proud

New book by pollster Jean-Marc Léger, journalist Pierre Duhamel and Professor Jacques Natel: Cracking the Quebec Code: The 7 keys to understanding Quebecers. It identifies seven traits that define the Quebec character: joie de vivre, easygoing, non-committal, victim, villagers, creative and proud.

Our firm, Headspace Marketing, published similar findings in 2012 and 2014 from our What Québec Wants study.

Women and the word balance

There’s an interesting piece in the French version of Châtelaine online by Marianne Prairie about the notion of living in balance. The provocative headline asks if it’s actually dangerous for women.

It quotes Elizabeth Gilbert:

“With no offence to the word balance, I feel that this is a word that we have to be careful of lately. Because it’s become another tool in the arsenal that women especially are using against themselves as one more things they’re not doing right. And I really do think it’s become a weapon. Maybe let go of that little word. For me peace comes when I kind of embrace the beautiful mess that I am. Just let it be that. And then start again the next day."

 

Gilbert says it’s a word women need to be careful of “lately”. This struck me.

I interviewed Mary Lou Quinlan in New York twelve years ago for a project that required an insight into women and their approach to healthy living. Mary Lou had recently published her book Just Ask A Woman and I was hoping to pick her brain. She delivered. Here’s what she had to say about the word “balance” a decade before Elizabeth Gilbert said something similar Oprah.

 

Balance and équilibre are loaded and complicated words that brands have used to speak to women. You might consider asking women about how they really feel about these words before using them to promote your brand.

Two solitudes on Valentine’s Day

In 2011, Pfizer commissioned Ipsos to ask Canadians about how they would celebrate Valentine’s Day given that it fell on a Monday and could therefore be celebrated on the weekend. Quebeckers were significantly more likely to say that “the weekend creates more opportunity to plan a romantic surprise.” (35% in Québec compared to 22% nationally and only 16% in Ontario).

Valentine’s day being a Friday this year, when can assume that Quebeckers are still more likely to plan a surprise than Canadian in the RoC.

On the other hand, in Ontario and other Canadian provinces Valentine’s day is the beginning of a three day weekend for some. Could that entice Canadians in the RoC to get more romantic this year?

Perhaps but cupid has his work cut out. In that same study, 35% of Canadians said they do not celebrate Valentine’s Day. 45% said so in Manitoba/Saskatchewan, 40% in Ontario and only 28% in Québec.

On a related note, here’s a great App and a great way for this jeweler to leverage social media with fun content without hard sell.

 

Brand loyalty is the absence of something better. Really?

Back in the 1990′s, Dave Nichol, who was then President of Loblaws, spoke at an industry conference and said: "loyalty is the absence of something better."

Give consumers a more decadent chocolate chip cookie and they'll jump ship - the Chips Ahoy! ship that is. Many did. Some have called the Decadent Chocolate Chip phenomenon "transformative".

Here's what Andrew Goodman recently wrote about The Decadent:

Nichol oversaw the engineering of a much superior private-label cookie to the one that dominated store shelves at the time. It would seem to be mostly just chocolate chips — real ones. The dough would be better, too. And you’d jam a few walnut pieces in there wherever there was room. You’d make sure the bag had big close-ups of the cookie all over it. You’d give it an audacious name. And finally you’d sell it for 50 cents less than the dominant brand. Chips Ahoy didn’t know what hit it.

Three decades after the Insider's Report was first published to promote Loblaws' President's Choice products, Quebeckers have been offered many "better" private label products from retailers looking to weaken their loyalty. It has obviously worked.

Yet despite the appeal of private label brands, a majority of Quebeckers remain very brand loyal.

When we asked 3,000 Canadians last year if they agreed with the statement "I consider myself to be very brand loyal", 47.6% of Canadians agreed. In Québec, among French-speaking Quebeckers, 60% agreed.

Many have become loyal to private labels but it's worth noting that Quebeckers are less likely than Canadians in the rest of Canada to rate PL brands as being better than nationally advertised brands.

For more on the What Québec Wants™ syndicated study, please download the prospectus.

Related articles

Loblaws pitchman Dave Nichol dead at 73

Store brands less irresistible in Québec

They're called Irresistibles, Personelle, Le Choix du Président or Equate.

Like most Canadians, Quebeckers are fond of private labels but they appear less likely than Canadians in the rest of Canada to give them five stars when comparing them to nationally advertised brands.

When we asked 3,000 Canadians last year if they agreed with the statement "food products and beverages sold under a store's own brand name are often better than the nationally advertised brands", 30% of Canadians agreed. In Québec, among French-speaking Quebeckers, 20.9% agreed.

Quebeckers are also significantly more likely to say that once they find a brand they like, it is very difficult to get them to change brands. While private labels might be "worth switching supermarket for" in English Canada, it may take more convincing in Québec.

For more on the What Québec Wants™ syndicated study, please download the prospectus.

 

Headspace team goes to the edge.

On Thursday October 10th, the team from Headspace in Toronto walked the edge of the CN Tower at 356m/1,168ft above the ground.

CN Tower Edge Walk

 

Why?

Because most of us are French-speaking Quebeckers. And, according to the What Québec Wants™ study, that makes us significantly more likely than Canadians in the rest of Canada to want to find more excitement and sensation in life. And Yes. We found it in Toronto.

When we asked 3,000 Canadians last year if they agreed with the statement "experiencing emotions and feelings as intensely as possible", 33% of Canadians agreed. In Québec, among French-speaking Quebeckers, 46% agreed.

Quebeckers are significantly more likely to seek ways to satisfy their hunger for new experiences. Marketers who can align their brands’ strategies with this need are more likely to connect with their prospects in French Québec.

For more on the What Québec Wants™ syndicated study, download the prospectus.

"I want a bank that makes things simpler."

This ad for TD Bank directed at small business decision makers might be an adaptation of an English ad but it should resonate particularly well with the target in French Québec since it leverages one of the Connectors identified in our What Québec Wants™ study; Life Uncomplicated.

When we asked 3,000 Canadians last year if they agreed with the statement "Taking measures to simplify my life", 52% of Canadians agreed. In Québec, among French-speaking Quebeckers, 63% agreed.

Quebeckers are significantly more likely to say they want to keep things simple. And a bank that truly caters to this need is more likely to connect with its prospects in French Québec.

For more on the What Québec Wants™ syndicated study, please download the prospectus.

 

Quebeckers see superiority in local.

"Manger local. Ça veut dire quoi?" (Eating local. What does it mean?)

The cover the most recent issue of Ricardo magazine asks one of the questions we've asked Quebeckers. And the answer offers further evidence of the intensity of one of the Connectors identified in our What Québec Wants™ study; Chez Nous.

When we asked 3,000 Canadians last year if they agreed with the statement "locally grown food products are generally superior to others", 58% of Canadians agreed. In Québec, among French-speaking Quebeckers, 63% agreed.

Quebeckers are also significantly more likely to say that it's important to them to know about the origin of the food they eat. Grocery brands that reflect this attitude in their offers and communications are more likely to connect with their prospects in French Québec.

For more on the What Québec Wants™ syndicated study, please download the prospectus.

Banque Laurentienne invites Quebeckers to do it now.

"C'est maintenant le moment." (Now is the moment.)

Now is the moment.

This brand signature for Banque Laurentienne could not be a more direct expression of one of the Connectors identified in our What Québec Wants™ study; Living In The Moment.

When we asked 3,000 Canadians last year if they agreed with the statement "Living in the now and letting the future take care of itself", 29.1% of Canadians agreed. In Québec, among French-speaking Quebeckers, 42% agreed.

Quebeckers are significantly more likely to say they're making the most of today because the future is uncertain. And a bank that aligns its promise with this sentiment is more likely to connect with its prospects in French Québec.

For more on the What Québec Wants™ syndicated study, please download the prospectus.